Mimosa

[xoe]

This is not what I expected at all. I expected it to smell like the feathery flower from the tree. Something like this -

 

 

But I remember those flowers as much sweeter smelling.

 

This is certainly beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it isn't what I expected.

 

It is slightly alkaline. Very sexy. Slightly sweet. A bit like strawberry. Definitely not powdery. Kind of sharp. Not unpleasantly sharp by any means.

 

As it dries it becomes sweeter less alkaline.

 

Very confusing. I hope somebody else reviews it so everyone can get a better idea of it.

 

 

(*edit. I finally found a good, and yet reasonably sized picture.)

Edited April 30, 2006 by Shollin

[Eris]

Interesting. This wasn't what I expected after reading the 'alkaline' comment in the previous review or the 'bitter' description in one of the blends (Succubus?). On me this was thick and deep pink. It almost put me in mind of a sweetart, though with more sweetness and less tart. This is definitely not a typical floral smell, nor one I think that can work with me on its own. I did sample some Perversion farther down my arm, however, and the two scents mingle nicely, making me think Mimosa be something best suited to blends.

[jj_j]

My grandparents had a mimosa tree just like the one in the first post. It was huge, and since they lived in the country with not much for us kids to do, we climbed it every chance we got. Threw the pods at each other, picked the little round parts of the frond apart and made it into mush ... all that good stuff.

 

Beth's single note in Mimosa is the scent I remember coming from that tree in the late spring and early summer. I don't remember it having such strength to it; in fact, I have in my head that it was a very faint, gentle scent that had to be searched out. Of course, this is a concentrated state of scent, so that may have something to do with it.

 

Mimosa is sweet and gently flowing. Grandma Jewell's house is along a dusty country road, with lots of rocks and trees that aren't anything like the part of the state I live in - with only a two and a half hour drive, even the dirt is a different color, with mine being a true red clay and hers being a chalky grey-white. Nothing ever seemed quite ... real? ... to me when we there because of those differences, so it's no surprise that I hadn't filed mimosa away as a limpid and liquid scent - that dusty dirt road skewed my perceptions more than I realized. In fact, this single note in Mimosa warms up to something more like my perception of lily of the valley, just a bit more delicate and much dewier.

 

I think this single note could be worn on its own and taken at face value as a perfume. It's not a "little old lady" scent, but it makes me think of the custom scent I got from Bourbon French years ago, minus the powdery notes. Elegant, gentle, and very southern belle.

[Ishtar]

When I first found BPAL, I was extremely happy to see Beth use mimosa in her blends. It is not a note that is too commonly found in perfumes, and when it is, it usually smells artificial. My family owns a few acres on a hill in Southern France where mimosa grows like weeds. We used to go there in February and we would bring home bunches and bunches of the fragrant tiny flowers that would scent our home for days.

 

It has been years since I last smelled mimosa but Beth's rendition instantly brought me back to this field and its mimosa trees.

This is the scent of the tree itself rather than just the flowers. The flowers smell slightly sweeter and more powdery, whereas this is somewhat on the green side.

I find it almost impossible to describe to someone who has never smelled mimosa, though... it is a rather straightforward scent, yet unlike any other. Anyway, I love it! Thank you Lab! This is lovely and not only because of the memories it brings back!

[Gin]

Mimosa

 

This is very subtle. I can hardly smell it. I've never smelled real mimosa, so I can't compare. It's sweet, slightly floral, slightly powdery.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: very light. i can actually barely smell this, but it's a nice scent.

on: almost effervescent. fresh, sweet, and light.

1.5 hours later: gorgeous. a bit heavier and sweeter.

3 hours later: this is still great. light and sweet.

overall: i think this will be a nice, bubbly scent in the summer. it's very nice.

[shelldoo]

i love mimosa trees, they are one of my favorites.

 

this didn't really remind me of teh tree, it is very very light, hardly detectable, but almost has a musky type smell, very odd

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Rather sweet flower scent.

 

Just On: A nice sweet pretty flower.

 

An hour or two later: This is a pretty nice sweet flower, but I'm starting to get a hint of soap.

 

Around 6 hours: No more soapiness comes out, but it's also fading fast.

 

12 hours: Oh yeah, it's gone.

 

Overall: Not bad, but not anything I'm going to seek out desperately. Like all of Beth's SNs, it's a wonderful creation, even if it isn't really for me.

 

After reading other reviews: I certainly didn't get powder out of this, and probably wouldn't have made a Southern Belle connection either.

[Shollin]

I think the imp I got is having a really bad hair day, because it's nothing like what y'all have described. And I'm ever so jealous.

 

First sniff: Oh. That’s… um… *chokes* I’m glad I haven’t smelled this in anything else. Madrid was awesome on me, though I know a lot of people had problems with it, and if this was dominant, I… well, I can see why. It’s… yeah, it’s pungent. Strong and sharp and pungent.

 

Hopefully y’all will appreciate this. I have a policy of trying everything on. Yup, everything. But I didn’t want this stuff anywhere I’d be smelling it for long, or by accident… so I swiped a little bit on my left ankle. And so…

 

Wearing: Gah. Just… yech. No skin-chemistry miracles for this one. I’m very thankful it doesn’t take over the blends it’s in.

[Little Bird]

My little half-decant of Mimosa was neither great nor awful on my skin. First on, it was a bit sharp and bitter... but it quickly dried down to a light floral, slightly powdery and with a hint of fruity sweetness. But it was so light that I could barely smell it, even with my nose against my wrist where I applied it. This fades *fast* on me.

[edenssixthday]

Mimosa - I wanted so badly to love Mimosa, and while it doesn't smell at all like what I expected, it really is beautiful. The scent is not a typical floral -- it's sweet and pink, almost like a soft fruity-floral. Even though it's subtle, it's definitely unique and makes me think of a non-spicy, sweetish carnation. It's pretty, but it's also got the tiniest twinge of soapiness to it. It actually has a lovely level of throw and a tiny bit on my wrist wafts nicely around my entire body and I think if I can avoid sniffing my skin up close, I will really like wearing this on its own, as it doesn't carry that heady quality or soapy quality with it as it wafts around. It's just a very sweet, pink, pretty floral. Lovely.

[supremegoddessofall]

Just have a sniffy of this, so can't really test it. Smells rather awful, like putrid neroli. Not for me.

[storme]

In the imp: sharp, powdery ick. Wow is that not what I expected.

 

On me, wet: ew ew ew. A bit like powdered candied violets gone off. Not good.

 

On me, dry: Still sort of violetish - and very powdery and sweet-sharp. And giving me a headache.

 

Verdict: No, no, a thousand times no.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Decant bought off eBay

 

Initial Thoughts: We have a few mimosa trees in the neighborhood. I am neither in love with nor repelled by the scent. But single notes of any kind are hard to find, so I snagged this one.

 

In the Vial: Well, I'm having a hard time placing it. Somewhat floral, somewhat herby, a bit on the acrid side rather than sweet.

 

Wet: Interesting. This gets a musky element from somewhere and warms up. I like it much better on me than I did in the bottle.

 

Drydown: Some of that herbal feel comes back, but now it blends better with the other facets of the note. It's musky, it's herbal, it's floral and it's rather nice.

 

Verdict: A very interesting note. If I had a bottle I'd be trying layering experiments to see if I could enhance one shade or another of the scent.

[cfrancesca]

This is a beautiful, fresh, slightly herbal, sophisticated "pink" floral. The scent reminds me of luxurious French floral soaps. As it dries, it goes slightly powdery, with some sweetness coming through.

 

ETA: About an hr. later this started to remind me *exactly* of the smell of doll heads, particularity Barbie's hair.

Edited December 8, 2010 by cfrancesca

[zankoku_zen]

After testing this SN, I've come to realize that mimosa is the dominant note in the now discontinued blend Succubus. It's a light, fresh, almost sharp, kinda pink floral. To me, it has a subtle citrus overlay to a somewhat fruity, not quite sweet floral.

 

I echo cfrancesca's comment that it sort of reminds me to luxurious French floral soaps. I don't find it a particularly comfortable or accessible, as there is a 'sharp' quality to it in my mind. I think haughty is probably the best word to describe the vibe for this.